If God is Omnipotent (All Powerful) Why Did He Need to Rest on the Seventh Day?Rich Deem

Introduction

It seems like a fair question, "Why would an omnipotent God need to
rest after creating the universe?" Elsewhere, the Bible says that our
Creator God does not get weary or tired.1
It turns out that the question is the direct result of a bad
rendering of the Hebrew by the King James translation:

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he
had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Genesis 2:3)

The original language

The Hebrew word, shabath, translated "rest" does not really refer to a
requirement to sleep or take a break due to weariness. In the vast majority of
verses the NASB translates the word as some form of stopping or ceasing. In
only 7 out of 68 instances is the word translated "rest" or
"rested." (see
also the Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions2)

Young's Literal Translation - And God blesseth the seventh day,
and sanctifieth it, for in it He hath ceased from all His work which God
had prepared for making.

God's Word - Then God blessed the seventh day and set it apart as
holy, because on that day he stopped all his work of creation.

Good News Bible - He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as
a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and
stopped working.

Other verses in the Old Testament separate shabath from the usual Hebrew words used to denote
rest. For example, Exodus 23:12 uses the word shabath as ceasing or
stopping from labor, but uses the Hebrew word nuach and naphash
to indicate resting.

"Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall
cease [shabath] from labor in order that your ox and your donkey may
rest [nuach], and the son of your female slave, as well as your
stranger, may refresh [naphash] themselves. (Exodus 23:12)

Purpose of the creation

Atheists tend to have the idea that if a god had created the world, he
would have done so just to give human beings a good place to live. However,
the Bible says that the day of rest (Sabbath) is one of the main
purposes of creation - so God's people can break from the routine of
work to contemplate God. Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, and not
man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). So, the Sabbath does not celebrate
God's creation, but celebrates God Himself. The Sabbath is a
preview of heaven, when we will forever enter into God's rest. So, the
author of Hebrews encourages us to enter into God's rest rather than falling
into disobedience.

Conclusion

So, what Genesis 2:3 is saying is that God stopped creating after the sixth
day - not that God needed to take a break. The Bible indicates that the seventh day is not closed. In all other days
the text says, "there
is the evening and the morning, the n day." There is no such
closing for the seventh day. In the New Testament book of Hebrews, the author tells us to labor to enter into God's
seventh day of rest (which is continuing).

For He has thus said somewhere concerning the seventh day, "And God
rested on the seventh day from all His works"... Let us therefore be
diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same
example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:4-11)

These verses indicate that we are currently in God's seventh day of
"rest." However, according to the Bible, God has been very busy
during this "rest" - forming the nation of Israel, sending the Messiah,
and building His Church. During this time, God has ceased His creative work. At the end of the seventh day, Christ will return
to judge
the earth.3 At that time God will create again - making a new heaven and new
earth4 that will have completely different physical laws. For more information,
see What Will Heaven be Like?

Related Pages

References

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God,
the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or
tired. His understanding is inscrutable. (Isaiah 40:28)

Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions:
shabath
(Strong's H7673)

to cease, desist, rest

(Qal)

to cease

to rest, desist (from labour)

(Niphal)

to cause to cease, put an end to

to exterminate, destroy

to cause to desist from

to remove

to cause to fail

(Qal) to keep or observe the sabbath

Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2323, 2323c

And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose
presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I
saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books
were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the
dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according
to their deeds... And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of
life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former
things shall not be remembered or come to mind. (Isaiah 65:17)
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth,
in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13)
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first
earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (Revelation 21:1)